Weight Loss Thread

Troll_sl said:

So I'd lost like 200 pounds a few years ago. Stopped and just worked on maintaining my weight. Worked like a boss. Went as low as 225, but normalized to 230.

Just started working on losing the last ~40 I need to. I'm back below 230. Here's hoping the downward trend continues.

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Did you end up with much lose skin after dropping so much weight?

Does that ever go away on its own or are you stuck looking like a deflated beach ball for life?

Other than my neck, no. But I'm still kind of a fatty. Moobs and all.

Loose skin goes away. Stretch marks are there for life though.

Yea stretch marks are annoying. I have a bunch in my armpit area from lifting in high school.

Khane_sl said:

Loose skin goes away. Stretch marks are there for life though.

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I think that's true to a certain extent, but people who were truly obese will probably require surgery to remove it. I'm talking about those people with a foot of saggy skin hanging from their midsection. Stretch marks also seem to fade over time until they become almost invisible (for me, at least).

I lost 100lbs pretty quickly and never had loose skin. I lost that weight almost 10 years ago and still have stretch marks from it.

In addition to how quickly you lose weight, your amount of loose skin will probably depend on where you lose it from. For example, if you're one of those people who stores all their fat in their stomach/gut/moobs, then you'll probably have at least some lose skin since that area of your body is stretched and hanging all the time. If you store your fat in your thighs/ass/legs you'll probably have less loose skin.

I genuinely feel bad for people who make massive transformations from fat to fit but get stuck with tons of nasty loose skin. They're in great shape, have lots of muscle, but if they remove their shirt to show off their hard work they'll get nothing but stares and nasty comments. If you're able to lose a lot of weight and not get tons of loose skin you should consider yourself very lucky!

No stretch marks when I lost my bulk thanks to bro science, or the fact my fat was pretty evenly split. I still have stretch marks where my pecs meet my armpits from when I first worked out at 18ish.

I lost about 45 lbs (220 -> 175) from January to now, but still have a bit of a gut, need tips.

Keep at it. There's no magic to losing the gut, just like there's no magic to losing that 45 lbs.

Damn

Lmao best response ever. Utter disappointment.

Get below 12-13% bodyfat and your gut will magically disappear! If you end up looking like a twig, it's because you didn't do any weight lifting.

So, I am starting attempt #3 at this whole weight loss thing. Figured I would give my story.

As a teenager / early 20s I was always fit. At 5ft 10in and a muscular 180lb, I wouldnt deviate more than +/- 5lb in all that time. Queue getting into IT work sat at a desk 8 - 12 hours a day and the inevitable metabolism slowdown and I eventually ballooned up to 248lb at my max a few years ago. At this point, a friend had showed me MyFitnessPal and I dropped to 220lb purely by changing diet alone. I kind of hit a wall at that point and after weeks, couldnt seem to drop anymore. I should have started a fitness regime at that point, but just decided to "take a week's break".. which turned into 6+ months.

Over those months, I gained back up to 234 before deciding to do things right and eat right AND exercise. (Cardio twice a week and cardio + weights two other days) Once again, I dropped down to about 220lb before I started getting knee pain from running. I tried doing lower impact work like a stationary bike, but everyone told me to just stay off the knee entirely to let it recover. During this time, I lost all motivation and started eating like shit again and here I am today at 237.

I guess I am looking at workout advice. My biggest problem is my work schedule. I work 12 hour shifts but combined with the commute and security checks (gov work), I am typically out of the house for ~14 hours a day. Keeping up a workout regime with a decent amount of rest seems almost impossible. Going to the gym for lunch is not an option. If I do start the workouts, I will inevitably be tired and lethargic at work after a while. It seems its work, gym, and sleep and zero time for anything else on those days.

Because I work so much during the week, my weekends are my only socializing time. This, of course, revolves around brunches and bars which are a diet disaster. I am not trying to make excuses, but this shit is just difficult with my schedule. I am looking for any tips how to buckle down and get through this mystical 220lb barrier and eventually make my goal weight of 190lb. I'd appreciate some advice / motivation!

Jysin_sl said:

I guess I am looking at workout advice. My biggest problem is my work schedule. I work 12 hour shifts but combined with the commute and security checks (gov work), I am typically out of the house for ~14 hours a day. Keeping up a workout regime with a decent amount of rest seems almost impossible. Going to the gym for lunch is not an option. If I do start the workouts, I will inevitably be tired and lethargic at work after a while. It seems its work, gym, and sleep and zero time for anything else on those days.

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If your major problem is time then I would probably suggest Starting Strength. It is 3 days a week, and if you don't dick around in the gym you can get your workout done in an hour/hour :15. It is critically important though that you stick to the schedule and never miss a workout.

You can buy the book at amazon:Starting Strength, 3rd edition: Mark Rippeto. I don't know what the kindle edition is like but I recommend getting the book because it is large and the pictures will likely be more clear.

Denaut_sl said:

If your major problem is time then I would probably suggest Starting Strength. It is 3 days a week, and if you don't dick around in the gym you can get your workout done in an hour/hour :15. It is critically important though that you stick to the schedule and never miss a workout.

You can buy the book at amazon:Starting Strength, 3rd edition: Mark Rippeto. I don't know what the kindle edition is like but I recommend getting the book because it is large and the pictures will likely be more clear.

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There are dumbbells in the gym, but not really a useful barbell. There is a 3 stack weight training machine as well.

How many days a week are you working these 12 hour shifts?

You make a point about "socializing" time being on the weekend. Well, make a decision now whether your health is more important than socializing. Those are the excuses of people who say they want to make a change, but they really don't care enough to make any sacrifices. If you can't find 3-4 hours a week for exercise, you don't really want to change.

And find a real gym.